Temperature-regulator for incubators.



I 'J. F. GARVEY. TEMPERATURE REGULATOR FOR INCUBATORS.

1 APPLICATION FI LED OCT. 3, 1914.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

mmmkoz J F. G A R v Y JOHN F. GARVEY, OF CHOPPER, KENTUCKY.

TEMPERATUE-REGULATOR FOR INCUBATORS.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. GARVEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cropper, in the county of-Shelby and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Temperature-Regulators for Incubators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to incubators, and particularly to an improved temperature regulator for incubators.

An object of this invention is the provi-- sion of temperature regulating means, whereby the temperature within the incubating chamber will be automatically maintained at the same degree, at all times.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a temperature regulating mech: anism in which separate inlet pipes are provided for warm ir and cool air, one of the pipes being automatically closed while the other is open.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a temperature regulating means for incubators, which may be adjusted, sothat any desired degree of temperature may be maintained in the incubating chamber;

With these and other'objects in view, my invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in'which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View of an incubator showing my. improved temperature regulating means; Fig. 2- is a fragmentary sectional view showing the manner of connecting one of the trip lugs to the piston rod; and Fig; 3 is an elevational view partly in section of an alternative form of thermostat for use in connection with the regulator.

Referring more particularly'to the drawmg, the numeral 1 designates an incubator of any; desired or usual construction Wl'llCh is supported upon suitable legs 2 or the like, and in which an egg tray 3 is sup:-

ported. Connected to one of the legs is a lamp 4, and supported on the body 1 abovethe lamp is a heating chamber 5, the central portion of thebottom wall of which is olfset upwardly to provide a chamber 6 which is adapted to receive the heat of the lamp 4. Projecting outwardly from one end wall Specification of Letters Patent.

with a threaded recess 26 in its Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

Application filed October 3, 1914. Serial No. 864,871.

valve 9 connected thereto within the he-ating chamber which is adapted to normally close the outlet opening 10 formed in the p pe ad acent its outer end. A hot air inlet .plpe 11 also projects from the same end wall of the incubator body and terminates within the heating tank 5, the outer end of the pipe 11 being extended upwardly and formed at its extremity with a valve seat 12. Projecting from the other end wall of the body is a hot air outlet pipe 13 which is providedwith a closed outer end 14, and an outlet opening 15 therein adjacent its closed outer end, a check valve 16 being also connected to the outer end ofthe pipe 13 to normally close the outlet opening 15 therein. Also projecting from below the pipe 13 is a cool air 'inlet pipe 16 which is provided with an upturned outer end 17 to provide a, valve seat.

Supported within the incubator body above the egg tray 3 is a thermostat comprising a bulb 18 which is provided with an upstanding tube or neck 19 which projects through the top wall of the body, the bulb 18 being adapted to contain a quantity of mercury 20 or other similar expansible fluid. Slidably mounted in the tube 19 and adapted to rest upon the fluid, is a piston 21, and extending upwardly from the piston and projecting above the tube 19 is a rod or stem 22, which is provided with a longitudinal slot 23 therein above the upper end of the tube 19. Arranged against the rod 22 are spaced oppositely disposed trip lugs 24 and 25, each of the lugs being provided inner end, the recesses 26 being adapted to receive set screws 27 which project through the slot 23, by means of which the trip lugs are held in adjusted position with relation to the rod. Pivotally mounted intermediate of its is a lever 29, the inner end of which is disposed below and in the path of the lug 24, and connected to the outer end of the lever 29 is a cord 30 on the. lower end of which a ball valve 31 is connected, the valve 31 being arranged Within the .tank 5 and being normally adapted to engage the-- valve the body seat 12 to close the: hot air inlet pipe 11. i

55 17 respectively.

Pivotally supported intermediate of its ends on other bearings 28 are levers 32 and 33, the inner lever having its inner end disposed above and in the path of the lug 25 and having'its outer end engaged against the inner end of the lever Connected to the outer end of the lever 33 is a cord 34 the lower end of which alSO carries a ball valve 35 which isnormally adapted to engage against the valve seat 17 formed on the cool air inlet pipe 16. Arranged above the upper wall of the body is a scale 36, the upper extremity of the rod being provided with a finger 37, whereby the temperature within the body is at all times indicated by the position of the finger 37 with relation to the scale 36.

In Fig. 3 of the drawing, I have illustrated an alternative form of thermostat which includes a substantially U-shaped bracket 38, on the lower arm of which a plurality of superposed thermostatic disks 39 are supported, the lower end of an operating rod 40 being supported on the uppermost disk 39, the rod 40 projecting through the extremity of the upper arm of the bracket. The projecting end of the rod 40 is provided with the trip lugs 24 and 25 and an indicating finger 37 which members operate the same as the members 2 25 and 37 indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawing, and connected to the upper extremity of the rod 40 is a weight 41 which is adapted to facilitate the lowering of the rod 40 upon contraction of the disks 39.

In the practical use of my device, the trip lugs 24 and 25 are secured in their desired positions upon the rod 22, so that the temperature within the incubator body may be maintained at any desired degree,

it being understood that when the lugs 24 and 25 are adjusted, the cords 30 and 34 which connect the outer ends of the levers 29 and 33 are lengthened or shortened so 4 that the action of the ball valves will be simultaneous with the vertical movement of the rod '22. As clearly shown in the drawing, the inner end of the lever 29 is arranged against the under face of the lug 24, and

the inner end of the lever 32 is arranged rod 21 upwardly, whereby the valve 35 will be removed from its valve seat 15 through the medium of the levers 32 and 33, to allow cool air to enter the body through the pipe 16 a portion of the hot air within the body escaping through theoutlet pipe 13. As soon as the temperature within the incubator return's to its normal degree, the

mercury within the tube 19 descends thereby allowing the valve 35 to again move to its closed position against the valve 17 of the cool air intake pipe 16. Should the air within the incubator become too cool, further contraction of the fluid 20 will allow the piston and the rod 22 to move downwardly thereby rocking the lever 29 upon its bearing or fulcrum 28, to raise the ball valve 31 from its seat 12 on the hot air inlet pipe 11, so that hot air contained within the heating chamber 5 may pass into the incubator body, the air from the incubator passing through the outlet pipe 7 into the heating tank, and taking the place of the air which enters the body through the pipe 11. When the temperature within the incubator body is again normal, the rising of the fluid within the tube 19 permits the ball valve 31 to again move to its closed position to prevent further hot air from entering the incubator chamber.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an incubator, an egg chamber, a warm air chamber, an air supply pipe entering the warm air chamber and provided with a gravity actuated valve, a warm air pipe extending from the upper portion of the heating chamber into the lower portion of the egg chamber, a valve normally closing said warm air inlet pipe, a cold air inlet pipe entering the egg chamber opposite to the warm air inlet pipe, a valve normally closing said pipe, an outlet pipe disposed in the upper portion of the egg chamber above the cold air inlet pipe, a gravity actuated valve normally closing said outlet pipe, independent levers operatively connected to said valves, and a thermostat adapted to operate the lever controlling the warm air inlet valve upon a fall of temperature in the egg chamber and operating the lever controlling the cold air inlet valve upon a rise of said temperature.

2. In an incubator, an egg chamber, an egg tray extending across the chamber and dividing it into two portions, a hot air chamber disposed exteriorly to the egg chamber and having an inlet pipe extending from the space below the egg tray, a

warm air outlet pipe extending from the upper end of the warm air chamber in the lower portion of the space above the egg tray, a valve normally closing said warm air inlet pipe, a cool air inlet pipe disposed in the egg chamber, a valve normally closing this pipe, an outlet pipe disposed in the upper portion of the egg chamber disposed exteriorly thereof and closed by a gravity actuated valve, a thermostat disposed within the egg chamber and including a movable element, and independent operating means operatively connected to one of said valves, one of said operating means being actuated by an upward movement of the movable member of the thermostat and the other of said operating means being actuated by a downward movement of the movable memher.

3. In an incubator, a chamber having a cold air inlet and a separate warmair inlet, valves coacting with and normally closing said inlets and independently operable, valve operating devices disposed in two planes and each connected to one of said valves, a thermostatic element engaging with either one of said devices upon a movement of the element in one direction from a normal position but disengaging therefrom and engaging with the other of said valve operating devices upon a movement 20 in the other direction, and means for adjusting the instant of engagement between said thermostatic means and either of said valve operating devices.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my 25 

